Alasdair Pepper

Partner

Alasdair’s practice focuses on Media and Commercial Litigation. His media practice has included obtaining six figure libel damages for several of his clients. He has also obtained multi-million pound settlements in commercial litigation cases for his clients.

Alasdair’s approach is to avoid legal and/or arbitration proceedings where possible, but if they are necessary, vigorously to pursue them with the aim of achieving a satisfactory settlement. This stated he has taken many cases to trial when a sensible settlement has not proved possible.

Media Litigation

Alasdair undertakes a considerable amount of pre-publication work. Alasdair frequently deals with threatened television programmes, newspaper articles and/or online material. He works closely with public relations consultants, both in house and external advisers to companies and individuals.

Alasdair also undertakes a considerable amount of work on the internet with either securing the removal of online material or reducing its visibility through the removal of links to it. This is with all the main search engines. For clients he has secured the removal of multiple articles and hundreds of links to other articles, making a real difference to the online material about those clients.

As part of dealing with the press, Alasdair is used to dealing with the media from other countries, and most particularly in the United States.

Alasdair’s practice encompasses dealing with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), among other such organisations.

Commercial Litigation

Alasdair has a successful Commercial Litigation practice, part of which involves financial mis-selling claims. These include actions for claimants: a) in relation to pension, equity release, film finance and option award schemes; b) concerning derivative, foreign exchange and other investment advice; and c) over property transactions, as well as other professional negligence claims. This is against solicitors, accountants, independent financial advisers, banks and others.

Civil Justice Council

Under the auspices of the Civil Justice Council, Alasdair was at the forefront of Carter-Ruck’s efforts to mediate aspects of its CFA scheme with publication lawyers. He has also been regularly invited by the Civil Justice Council to conferences held by it into aspects of litigation which it is reviewing. In 2009 Alasdair appeared before the Cultural, Media and Sports Select Committee of the House of Commons in a briefing seminar for the Press Standards, Privacy and Libel Inquiry. On 24 October 2011, Alasdair gave evidence before the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the House of Lords and House of Commons on Privacy and Injunctions.

Clients

Alasdair’s client base is diverse and includes:

Multinational and national companies, chairmen and managing directors from a range of industry sectors;

Some of the wealthiest businessmen in Britain;

Members of the royal family;

Members of the House of Lords, MPs and MEPs;

Judges, barristers and solicitors;

Human Rights Campaigners;

Film directors, actors and actresses;

The Football Association, Premiership football clubs, chairmen of football clubs and premiership footballers; and

Newspapers and book publishers.

Memberships

Alasdair is currently or has been involved in:

Committee set up at the request of Lord Justice Jackson which considered means by which the early resolution of libel claims could be achieved.

Law Society’s committee on the pre-action protocol for media related actions.

Committee that considered so called ‘super injunctions’ set up and chaired by the then Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger.

Working Group commissioned by the Civil Justice Council tasked with identifying the need, and possible mechanisms, for providing costs protection to parties to publication and privacy proceedings.

Media and Communications List User Group Committee under the chairmanship of The Hon. Mr Justice Warby. The Committee comprises practitioners from private practice, in-house lawyers, barristers and others, and reviews proposals for the effective case management of cases in the Media and Communication List. The List was created in March 2017 to take primary responsibility for cases arising from publication or threatened publication by print, broadcast, online and social media.

Alasdair was a long standing member of the Media Section of the International Bar Association and has spoken at conferences around the world.

Chambers & Partners 2018 report that according to an impressed market source, ‘Alasdair Pepper is incredibly bright and leaves no potential avenue uninvestigated and has a significant libel and privacy practice providing both pre and post-publication advice to clients.’

Chambers & Partners comment that ‘Alasdair is a stalwart of the media law sector and is always a voice of authority on often complex cases.’

Alasdair’s practice focuses on Media and Commercial Litigation. His media practice has included obtaining six figure libel damages for several of his clients. He has also obtained multi-million pound settlements in commercial litigation cases for his clients.

Alasdair’s approach is to avoid legal and/or arbitration proceedings where possible, but if they are necessary, vigorously to pursue them with the aim of achieving a satisfactory settlement. This stated he has taken many cases to trial when a sensible settlement has not proved possible.

Media Litigation

Alasdair undertakes a considerable amount of pre-publication work. Alasdair frequently deals with threatened television programmes, newspaper articles and/or online material. He works closely with public relations consultants, both in house and external advisers to companies and individuals.

Alasdair also undertakes a considerable amount of work on the internet with either securing the removal of online material or reducing its visibility through the removal of links to it. This is with all the main search engines. For clients he has secured the removal of multiple articles and hundreds of links to other articles, making a real difference to the online material about those clients.

As part of dealing with the press, Alasdair is used to dealing with the media from other countries, and most particularly in the United States.

Alasdair’s practice encompasses dealing with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), among other such organisations.

Commercial Litigation

Alasdair has a successful Commercial Litigation practice, part of which involves financial mis-selling claims. These include actions for claimants: a) in relation to pension, equity release, film finance and option award schemes; b) concerning derivative, foreign exchange and other investment advice; and c) over property transactions, as well as other professional negligence claims. This is against solicitors, accountants, independent financial advisers, banks and others.

Civil Justice Council

Under the auspices of the Civil Justice Council, Alasdair was at the forefront of Carter-Ruck’s efforts to mediate aspects of its CFA scheme with publication lawyers. He has also been regularly invited by the Civil Justice Council to conferences held by it into aspects of litigation which it is reviewing. In 2009 Alasdair appeared before the Cultural, Media and Sports Select Committee of the House of Commons in a briefing seminar for the Press Standards, Privacy and Libel Inquiry. On 24 October 2011, Alasdair gave evidence before the Joint Parliamentary Committee of the House of Lords and House of Commons on Privacy and Injunctions.

Clients

Alasdair’s client base is diverse and includes:

Multinational and national companies, chairmen and managing directors from a range of industry sectors;

Some of the wealthiest businessmen in Britain;

Members of the royal family;

Members of the House of Lords, MPs and MEPs;

Judges, barristers and solicitors;

Human Rights Campaigners;

Film directors, actors and actresses;

The Football Association, Premiership football clubs, chairmen of football clubs and premiership footballers; and

Newspapers and book publishers.

Memberships

Alasdair is currently or has been involved in:

Committee set up at the request of Lord Justice Jackson which considered means by which the early resolution of libel claims could be achieved.

Law Society’s committee on the pre-action protocol for media related actions.

Committee that considered so called ‘super injunctions’ set up and chaired by the then Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger.

Working Group commissioned by the Civil Justice Council tasked with identifying the need, and possible mechanisms, for providing costs protection to parties to publication and privacy proceedings.

Media and Communications List User Group Committee under the chairmanship of The Hon. Mr Justice Warby. The Committee comprises practitioners from private practice, in-house lawyers, barristers and others, and reviews proposals for the effective case management of cases in the Media and Communication List. The List was created in March 2017 to take primary responsibility for cases arising from publication or threatened publication by print, broadcast, online and social media.

Alasdair was a long standing member of the Media Section of the International Bar Association and has spoken at conferences around the world.

Carter-Ruck is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA Number 44769). The SRA rules can be found on the SRA website
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